"Our five-year-old woke up and yelled out to us," he said. "He was terrified by it."

Roach shared the recording from a security camera on his property with CBC.

The sound of the explosion can clearly be heard.

City Councillor Gerry Lowe lives in a waterfront condominium directly across from the AIM site.

"I personally thought that two boats had collided in the harbour," said Lowe. "I'd never heard one as loud as this."

'Significant' explosion

Lowe, who is a candidate in the upcoming provincial election, said he could see smoke rising from the AIM operation and then heard sirens from first responders.

AIM did not respond to a request for comment from CBC.

Another loud explosion left a wall of smoke over the AIM facility in June 2017. (Submitted by Rebecca Cunningham)

The Port of Saint John issued a statement saying there was a "significant" explosion at American Iron and Metal and that the source had been identified by AIM staff. It did not elaborate on what caused the blast.

Saint John Fire Chief Kevin Clifford says the 911 call did not come from the company.

"We should have been called [by AIM]," he said. "Other industries in our community do that. They are respectful to us."

This is not the first report of an explosion at the AIM site. Another particularly loud one took place in June 2017; it left a wall of smoke over the facility.

Company spokesperson Kamila Wirpszo told CBC at the time the explosion was small and beyond the company's control.

About the Author

Connell Smith

Reporter

Connell Smith is a reporter with CBC in Saint John. He can be reached at 632-7726 Connell.smith@cbc.ca